


Emily's team

by mooglemania



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Angry Kissing, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Gratuitous Smut, Heavy Petting, Light Angst, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Smut, My First Work in This Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-05-21 15:50:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14918300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooglemania/pseuds/mooglemania
Summary: Emily dreams of showing Paige exactly what team she plays for. PWP, smut, FF, cis, hard M. One shot, but I might develop it into something more if I find the time (and if people actually want that).





	1. The beginnining

 

 What was it that Paige had said? 'We all know what team you really play for'. Emily thought about the nasty comments Paige had made all day. She thought about them through lunch and she felt her blood boil. She thought about them during class and nearly messed her experiment up. She even thought about them on her way home and during dinner. Nothing had ever gotten under Emily's skin like that before and she couldn't figure out why. The other girl was right, Emily was gay. And the whole town probably knew by now. Maybe not her coach, but she really didn't feel like it was something she needed to share with her. It wasn't like she was hiding her sexuality...was it? She hated the power the other girl had over her. To make her waste her days questioning her own self? No one should be able to influence her that much. Even Alison didn't have that effect on her. Whenever she made one of her sly digs, Emily'd just brush it off because at the time it felt like harmless ribbing. I mean, she felt anxious that it might lead to more direct accusations but the subject would change and everything would be fine again. Emily would meekly swallow another bitter pill and everyone would move on.

 So Emily was baffled why this stranger could just turn her life upside down like that with a couple of words. 'what team you really play for'? She'd love to show her. In bed that night she imagined shoving her against the locker and showing her exactly what team she played for. She'd slam her against that locker and before the other girl even had a chance to react she'd shut her up with a kiss. Emily bet she'd like that. Emily's never had any complaints about her kissing before. Though her kiss with Alison was tame and her kisses with Maya were desperate and needy, silently begging for something she later acknowledged to be 'understanding'. The kiss she would bestow Paige with would be forceful. Forceful and rough. It'd be a sin. A punishment. She'd show her in the worst way. She'd push her up against the lockers and she'd kiss her stupid, pretty face right on the mouth, and she'd reach out and put her hands on either side of her, blocking her in. Paige wont know what hit her. She supposed she'd pull back and Paige would just stare at her, stunned. She'd imagine the other girl staring blankly as Emily reached for her bag, slammed her locker door shut and walked away. She also imagined that she might react violently and push her back. If she did though Emily would just hold her own and continue to kiss her. She'd kiss her into submission. And if that didn't work she'd have to square up. She could imagine them wrestling in the locker rooms, messy hair, clothes askew, red faced and ripping into one another.In the heat of the moment, Emily would settle on top of Paige and the other girl would try and shrug her off using her pelvis and she would grind down on her and... wait, what? No, no no no no. There would be no grinding, this was not a seedy nightclub or a porno.

 Emily tried to brush that thought out of her head but all she could imagine was Paige's face. If Emily ground down on her, what would she do? Emily didn't know what the other girl would do and realistically she thinks she would recoil but a part of her, no matter how small or large or wet, decided she'd like it if she moaned. She could see her now, trying her damnedest to suppress a moan. Emily would grind down and Paige would whimper. She would grind again and again, almost in a pattern and the other girl's eyes would roll into the back of her head. Little 'oh's and 'ah's would slip out and her hands wouldn't be trying so hard to push her away. Emily would feel Paige's hands settle on her hips tentatively. She'd look down and see this look of wanton desperation on the other girl. If she could see herself, she'd see that same look echoed in her eyes. She'd bend down and peck the other girl on the lips only this time, she wouldn't push away. She'd feel soft hands wrap around her neck, fingertips touch around the back, pulling her in. She felt a tingle at the back of her neck as she imagined it. Before she knew it, Emily had rolled onto her front and her pelvis had begun simulating the assault. She felt her body rolling back and forth as she continued fantasizing. She'd follow the peck up with a deeper kiss, then trail a series of kisses down the short haired girl's exposed neck. She'd find her pulse point there and suckle, feeling the vibrations of the moan that would escape from the other girl's lips. And all the while she will be grinding.

 Emily felt frustrated. Not because of her fantasy but because of reality. She needed to make contact with something but there was nobody there. Sighing she lifted a pillow and wedged it between her legs, continuing her ministrations. She imagined kissing down the other girl's shoulder, all the way to her bra strap. Sliding her middle finger underneath she'd sweep the offending strip of fabric out of the way and progress down her body, laying sweet, gentle kisses down like breadcrumbs. The moment she'd reach her breast she'd hear the other girl gasp. There'd be no time for caution as she'd slowly tug both bra and top revealing the beautiful mounds underneath, all the time making eye contact with Paige, feeling her breathing become shallower through the decreased rising and sinking of her chest. Starring down, hungrily, like the big bad wolf and seeing those cherry-kissed peaks, Emily would cup first one, then both of Paige's breasts and feel the other girl arch her back towards her impulsively, giving in to temptation. She would feel their weight in both her hands and begin stroking and caressing her newfound treasures before diving down and taking each other them in her mouth. She felt herself get wetter as she imagined swirling her tongue around the little buds and sucking them into her mouth. She'd suckle and lick one as she would rub and stroke and pinch and pull the other and her left her would travel south and loop around behind her back and grab at her ass, pulling them closer together.

Close would not be close enough for those two. She'd grind and stroke and lick and suck and switch and do it all again and then she'd let her fingers travel down to live across the road from their cousins, cupping Paige's other cheek. She'd grab those cheeks and squeeze as she ground down and feel a shudder from bellow her. When she'd finished sucking she'd pull herself back up to admire her handiwork. She'd look down and see a trail of saliva connecting the brunette's naked breasts and she'd catch her looking wantonly up at her, a flower ready for defiling. How whorish she would look, with her red cheeks and her breasts out on display like that. 'God she'd be so fucking perfect' thought Emily as the thoughts of ravishing her teammate continued flowing through her head. She wanted to see her reach this state of arousal just once before she died. She had to see if it was even possible for someone so tightly wound.

 And yet as indecent as she may look she still resembled an image of innocence. Like she's completely baffled that she would ever respond this way. Part of her wanted to make her suffer. She wanted to make her beg. So as much as it pained her she'd cease her ministrations. She'd look into those hazy brown eyes and try not to lose herself. She'd inquire with the trailing of her fingers to her waistband and a cheeky quirk of her eyebrow. She wouldn't dare degrade the integrity of the situation with a smirk but she would nod her head up and Paige would capture her lips while she nodded back. No words would be exchanged, the whole affair shall be silent. Paige's cries will be muffled by Emily's mouth as she plunges her hand down her pants and starts feeling around the most private parts of the other girl. She'll cup her mound and feel her sigh underneath her and press up with her pelvis, angling herself just so in order to provide her clit some friction. She'll slip her index and her middle finger between the lips and coat them with her juices and then she'll feel around until she finds her clit and ever-so-gently begin massaging her. The "oh"s will grow more intense. Emily will feel the girl starting to shake underneath her, sweating, her body on fire. She'll apply more pressure to her strokes and feel the girl beneath her whimper, just a few increments of force away from release. Paige will be gasping and moaning into her mouth as she meets her movements with her hips. Soon enough the delectable duet will come to a crescendo as she presses down on her engorged clit and swirls her finger around a couple of times, just before the girl beneath her clenches her legs and shudders.

 Emily hadn't noticed when she'd begun to touch herself along with her fantasy of touching Paige. She wasn't aware of it until she herself started shaking to the visual of Paige coming undone. She closed her eyes and dreamed of what she wanted. She wanted to be inside her. She wanted Paige inside her. She wanted to feel the other girl wrap around her, wanted to feel the heat coming from her body, kiss her mouth, her face, her neck, her shoulders, every part of her. She wanted to taste her saliva and her sweat and the way she tasted between her legs. She wanted to hear her shudder and moan and pant. To hear her breath catch and hear her call out her name. She wanted to hear her voice get husky and she wanted to know what words she'd cry out. Would she call out to Jesus or call out to her? Would she swear or be pious? Would she be loud or would she be quiet. What did her body smell like? What shampoo or conditioner lent its scent to her hair. She wanted to tangle it. To fist it in her hand and pull her head back that way, allowing access to her front and her neck and her breasts. God, what shape would they be in? What colour were her nipples? She wanted to know so much. But it didn't matter. She wouldn't dare to ask the questions that were pestering her. She couldn't. She wouldn't get an answer anyway.

 When her shakes and shivers subsided she pulled the blanket over herself and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. She looked at her right hand and found it was drenched. She wanted to wash it but she was downright exhausted, so, she just fell asleep, resigned to wake up early and strip her bed, throwing the bedding in the washing machine before she left the house for her morning run, wanting to erase every last memory of her dream of Paige. As she drifted off though, a proud smile gracing her face, the last coherent thought she remembered having was how she totally showed Paige -in her dream at least- what team she really played for.


	2. Tears in the rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Paige's rainy apology, Emily has another fantasy about the red-head.

 From the moment she got that text message, Emily knew her night was going to be changing from bad to worse. As if it wasn't bad enough already, having to deal with the pressure of competing in a race in order to compete in a race the next day, she also had a jealous rival to contend with. Spencer telling the coach about Paige's hostility hadn't done Emily any favors. In fact the fallout was considerable. Paige had begun to trust her a smidgen until coach decided to take matters into her own hands and reward Emily with the coveted anchor position. Paige lashed out, thinking she'd gone behind her back to complain and Emily suffered because of it. As much as she had been scared, she still didn't want any bad blood between herself and the other girl and so she tried to extend another olive branch again in the locker rooms, but it was too late. The damage had been done and Paige's trust was broken.

 

 Emily felt like telling Spencer off again. She was sick of people thinking of her as this helpless imbecile who meekly followed orders and never stood up for herself. It was none of her business and she had no right to do that. But Emily also understood that lashing out at Spencer wouldn't achieve anything and that Spencer was only trying to help because she cared about her, as she was her friend, and so she couldn't begrudge the other girl for trying to help. She wanted to lash out at Paige for lashing out at her but she could tell the other girl felt threatened and that's why she did the things she did. She wanted to show her that she was not a threat but she had no way of knowing how she could even begin to do that. So, frustrated once more, Emily Fields slumped back into her bed and willed herself to sleep. It wasn't until much later when she heard the distinct din of her ringtone that she realized she hadn't fallen asleep, having only gotten lost in her thoughts once again. Thoughts of Coach and Paige and Spencer started to dissipate until all that was left were thoughts of the other swimmer and her pale skin and her big brown eyes and the way her mouth curled up into a smirk in the locker rooms and how she'd wanted to wipe that smirk off her face with her kisses. She'd wanted to kiss her until she frowned and then until she smiled again, but differently this time; with jubilation, not irritation. 

 

 When she reached the door, the last thing she'd expected was for Paige to actually be there. She thought the message was a prank or a set up. She didn't think that anybody would be standing there. She thought that Paige was just messing with her head, trying to psyche her out and make her lose her sleep and show up tired and slow the next morning. That's what Alison would probably do if she was stuck in this sort of situation. Try to manipulate the opposition into playing right into her hand. Emily did not expect Paige to be standing there, drenched in water that soaked right through her clothes and hair and froze her to the bone, in the middle of a storm, staring at her with remorse and fear in those big eyes that Emily could swear were harboring tears and secrets too big to unfold. Secrets that if shared could undo and break the other girl. It was then that Emily felt an entirely different feeling for the other girl; remorse. It was funny because the other girl had been the one that hurt her and yet Emily felt bad herself for making the swimmer feel so bad. She could see, through the transparent veil of tears that the other girl was hurting and the only thing she wanted to do was help alleviate that pain.

 

 When Paige apologized Emily was suddenly reminded of their journey. Having the other girl in such close proximity made it difficult for Emily's brain to remain rooted in the moment. It was impossible for her to not get lost inside her eyes. Even now, sitting in her bed she couldn't stop thinking about them. Those eyes that days ago seemed filled with life and joy now looked so sad and destroyed that all Emily wanted to do was reach out and wipe those tears away. But she knew though, deep down she knew that this moment was sacred and if she moved, if she spooked the other girl the moment would be lost so she stood still, as still as she possibly could and let Paige finish her apology before she rambled on. 

 

 When Paige was done, she turned and ran back to her bike. Emily was stunned. She was rooted to the spot. She had no time to process things and come to any conclusions before the girl was pedalling away down the street and away from her grasp. She wanted to reach out and stop her but she was far too gone. She'd tried calling out but the other girl was determined. She wanted to run out into the rain. Her whole brain was screaming to go after the other girl, terrified because something felt wrong. Something felt definitely wrong and there was just no way for Emily to explain it but it was like that moment of anxiety she'd get whenever the phone rang and her mother answered it. The reason she would search her mother's face for a hint while she talked. The fear of bad news. Like if Paige ran out into the night something would certainly have happened to her and she would never see her again.

 

 But Emily didn't. She couldn't. Something held her back. She knew that as much as she had wanted to shelter her, take her in for the night and protect her and hold her and tell her everything was gonna be all right, this is not what the other girl needed right now. She didn't know exactly what was best but she knew that Paige needed to get away and do some of her own processing. So she let her go, all the while cursing herself for not having the balls to stop her.

 

 In her room later that night, after about an hour of turning, Emily was starting to fidget. She knew there was no way she'd get to sleep unless she did something drastic. She knew that if the other girl was troubled or not, she was still not her own responsibility. She knew that even if something had happened she would not be alerted, having barely known the girl in the first place and the only way to find out for sure was to wait until the school swimming contest tomorrow, but she still felt too worried to sleep. Letting out a sigh, she lowered her hand to her waistband and started to think.

 

 She thought back to just before Paige had gone. She wished she had been braver. She wished she asked the girl to stay the night. She wished she didn't have to worry about rejection. She thought about just taking one of her hands and ushering her inside. She'd put her hands on her upper arms and rub them, warming the other girl up, and then grab them and gingerly pull the other girl in. She'd close and lock the door indicating she wanted her to stay in, and she would take one of her hands and guide her up to her bathroom. She'd give the other girl a towel and help her strip her clothes off, layering them over the towel rails and leaving them there overnight to dry, and then she would wrap a towel around her, and one around her neck, letting her hair down in the process. She smiled thinking about Paige's hair dye coming off on the towel and how she'd have to replace it, lest her mother find out and throw a fit, and she thought about how she would wrap the other girl in a hug and lean in for a kiss.

 

 Paige would be cold and wet so a great way to warm her up would be a bath. She'd fill the tub with water as she stripped herself and when the tub was full she'd settle in, point a finger towards the other girl and curl it towards herself, signalling her to join her. Paige would be skeptical at first but she'd assure her that they needn't talk or do anything they didn't want to and Paige would find herself settling in between Emily's thighs, facing away from her. Emily would take a brush and start to slowly drag it through the ginger hair, all the way down to her back. Paige would relax and close her eyes, and Emily would finish and pull her back to rest against her chest. At some point the lights will have gone out and they will have lit candles all around the tub, and when Paige would sink back into Emily's embrace, her face will be lit by the candles and Emily will watch her for a minute in the mirror. She will look so serene.

 

 Emily would start to caress Paige's arms. Paige will shift slightly, stimulating Emily's clit and causing her to fumble a little, which in turn would cause Paige to look up at her, bite her bottom lip, then close her eyes and lean in for a kiss. Emily's hand would go to the back of Paige's neck, where her lips would soon follow, sending a shiver up and down her spine. Paige would shift again and this time, Emily would moan from the contact, which will cause Paige's cheeks to flush. Emily could see them now, all red and soft and dewy from the bathwater. Emily will kiss around to the side of Paige's neck as her hands drop to her waist and encircle her from behind. Paige will melt in her arms and reach up and cup Emily's cheek, bringing her in for another kiss as Emily gets braver and traces her fingers up.

 

 Their mouths will finish their journey simultaneously with Emily's hands. She will cup Paige's breasts from behind as Paige opens her mouth to accept Emily's tongue, passionately kissing her with a sudden intensity. A sudden urge to drive her crazy will fill Emily and instead of kneading her breasts, she will pull her hands away and begin twisting her nipples, caressing them and twirling them around, fondling nothing but the peaks, keeping her hands from enveloping the whole breasts. Paige will grunt underneath and heat up hotter than a seat-belt on a sunny day. She will turn her whole body around and reach up and cup her face with her hands as Emily kissed and caressed her.

 

 When they'd pull away, Emily will search for Paige's eyes and see her own lust staring back at her. Paige will slip a knee between her legs and Emily's hands will travel south and pinch her cheeks before pulling them down towards her, closer and closer still until her whole thigh makes contact with her core. Emily will reach up with her right hand and find Paige's own center and she'll match Paige stroke for stroke.

 

 Paige will move against Emily slowly at first, letting them both adjust and get used to the exciting new sensation but before long, Paige will be rolling her hips like a wanton slut. She'll screw her eyes shut and Emily will reach up and recapture her lips. When Paige pulls back it wont be all the way, pressing their foreheads together as she moans loudly when she feels Emily begin to penetrate her. Emily's finger will begin to press into Paige's hole. It will be slick but tight which will remind Emily of Paige's virginity and make her pull her finger away. She wouldn't want to take that away like this. Emily's hand will press hard against Paige's clit causing her to moan again as she rubbed rough circles around it. But for all her own need Paige will pull back, drain the tub and replace her thigh with her own mouth, licking slowly up and down between  Emily's lips. 

 

 Emily was losing her sanity. When Paige's mouth found her core, her hands flung to the side of the tub and the top of Paige's head. She pushed Paige closer and rhythmically raised her hips and brought them back down with Paige's strokes, skull-fucking the red-eared red-headed girl between her legs. Loud moans and the smell of sex filled the room as Paige went to town on Emily's clit, lapping up and down and rubbing circles with her tongue, driving Emily completely wild. Before long, Emily was grunting and bucking her hips and with a couple of jolts she came, filling Paige's mouth with a warm fluid. Paige would smile and lick it up, leaving her center dry but the rest of her body sticky with sweat.

 

 When Emily would recover her strength she would spin Paige around, lean her against her once again, and reach over and across and down between her legs and start rubbing her clit there. Up and down and up and down, she would slide her fingers down to her entrance, coat them with her juices, then travel back up to her clit and double her efforts. Before long, Paige was writhing under her ministrations and Emily would have the other girl panting, a sheen of sweat forming on her brow, her cheeks red, her ears red, her lips red and drying out if not for the kisses she periodically placed on them wetting them with her tongue as she requested permission to enter her mouth. All of a sudden Paige will gasp, whisper Emily's name again, her brows knit in concentration, and her legs will begin to shake. Three strokes later Paige will climax. Emily will lick her fingers clean, tasting Paige there. She'll reach across with her toes and fill the tub back up with warm water as Paige recovered and Paige will wake up in Emily's arms, enveloped by warm water, and find Emily placing soft kisses all over her neck and back.

 

 By the time Emily reached that part of her fantasy she had come twice, too exhausted to imagine Paige and Emily drying off and meeting in her bed for round three. Feeling much more relaxed, though much guiltier than last time, she drifted off to sleep, wondering how she'd be able to look the other girl in the eye the next morning in the locker rooms.


	3. The Riot's Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up on race day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, I haven't abandoned this fic. Part 4 coming soon.

Chapter 3

Emily hadn't expected the other girl to show up. After coach told her that Paige was injured, she figured that Paige was probably gonna stay home all day and miss the swimming competition so when she saw a glint of red out of the corner of her eye she was sure it was a mistake or her eyes playing tricks on her but sure enough, when she scanned the crowd she caught Paige's brown eyes staring back at her. She'd been excited to see her again after she showed up at her house last night to apologize. Emily didn't really get a chance to talk things out with her then and she'd been hoping she could catch the other girl in the locker rooms but alas, Coach Fulton announced that Paige would not be joining them that day because she got herself in a bicycle accident.

Emily felt bile rise up in the pit of her stomach. This was all her fault. If it wasn't for her, Paige would be here right now. She felt like it was her turn to apologize. But that would have to wait because she had a swimming competition to focus on right now, so Emily tried in vain to push the thought from her brain, but she couldn't. The guilt inside her was too strong. So she kept looking out at the audience, trying to distract herself from the nerves and the guilt and that was when she saw her standing there with a shy smile on her face.

When she saw her, everything else just drifted away. Her guilt was gone and so were everybody else's expectations. Suddenly, she felt serene. She looked at the water and all she could think of was how badly she wanted to win this for Paige. To make her proud of her. She felt like Paige had given her a second chance at their relationship and she was dying to prove that she was worth it. To prove that she didn't make a mistake in trusting and supporting her.

She coiled herself up, pulled her goggles down, waited for her teammate to touch the wall and leaped forth, landing gracefully in her lane, reaching out and pulling at the water, propelling herself forward with her feet as she started barreling down the length of the pool. Her eyes shut tight, all she could see was the other girl's rosy cheeks and her scarlet hair and navy sweatsuit. She smiled as she reached the end first, found herself outside the pool, her eyes raking across the bleachers until they landed squarely on the smiling ginger girl.

* * *

Everyone had left already. They whooped and hollered their way out of the gym, cheerfully celebrating their victory, making arrangements to meet up later that night at some celebratory party. It would be Emily's first and she should be over the moon about getting to go but she was far more interested in the brown eyed girl with the bandage on her face.

She was the last to leave the locker room but she was pleasantly surprised to find the other girl still there. Great minds think alike because it seems the other girl wanted to talk to her as well. She was sitting on the edge of the pool and dipping her toes in the water. Emily watched her trace lazy circles in the water, hypnotically, with her feet. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop and Paige's articulations were so smooth they barely made a sound. So quiet they were that the sound of a drop of water falling off of Emily's wet hair was able to make such a din it startled the both of them out of their daze.

Emily cleared her throat to break the tension as she walked silently over to Paige. Paige continued to sit facing the water for a while as they began to talk. Paige exclaimed that she was done with swimming. Emily was shocked. This was the most committed swimmer on the team. Losing her would be like trying to function without a heart. There had to be a way to stop this foolishness.

Paige aired her grievances and Emily listened to the other girl, all the while enjoying the sight of her exposed skin. She wasn't into feet or anything, but she felt entranced by the motions of Paige's legs in the water. They were so soft and delicate...like a ballerina. She moved around in the water like it was her second nature. Emily wished her hands could trace similar patterns across her skin.

When Emily suggested they try swimming for fun, she didn't expect Paige to really take her up on her offer. She thought the other girl would scoff and walk away and that she'd never see swimming again. She genuinely didn't think she would be able to influence her as she did but thankfully she agreed and a few minutes later they were both in the water splashing each other and warming up, getting ready for a lazy fifty meter lap.

What was more surprising was their synchronicity. As if their minds and bodies had melded together, they both pushed off the wall at the exact same time, inhaled for the exact same amount of time, and stroked in the exact same increments for the first couple of meters. By the time they reached the other side, both girls had a massive smile plastered on their faces.

Emily stopped then, for air, stuck her head out of the water and turned to watch Paige swim back to the beginning. Her form was exquisite. She looked like a champion. Emily was so satisfied with herself for her achievement. Not just winning the race but reawakening a fellow swimmer's love for their sport. She'd never felt more powerful. And besides that, the swimmer she helped was Paige. This meant that she no longer had to worry about no longer seeing her around the locker rooms and stuff because she was definitely gonna be sticking around. She could tell by her smile.

As an added bonus, in her rush to get changed, Paige didn't affix her costume right. This resulted in the fabric sliding up with every second stroke, exposing a tiny portion of her right butt cheek. Emily knew she should look away or swim back but she couldn't tear her eyes away. Her eyes darkened as another fantasy began to form in her head.

In this one Paige swam back, her swimsuit sliding off bit by bit until the other girl was standing naked in front of her. They were on an alien planet like in that movie, Barbarella, and the pool contained some some sort of chemicals that reacted when you swam around and dissolved swimsuits. Paige and Emily were in the water so long they were stark naked.

They both pushed themselves out. Emily first and then Paige. She watched as the other girl rose out of the water in all her naked glory. They dried off and slipped into some high heels. And then they started going down on one another on the bleachers.

When Paige swam back around she found Emily hugging the wall, practically drooling. Her eyes were darker than she's ever seen them before, and heat emanated from her skin, causing Paige to worry that she had caught a cold. Thankful for the help but figuring Emily was done with her swimming, she encouraged the other girl to end their session in the water and hit the showers. Emily snapped out of her haze and agreed to go home. She really didn't think this whole thing through though.

Wanting to take her mind off Paige, she followed her into the empty locker rooms where she left her stuff. She picked up her toiletries and headed for the showers, stripping of her swimsuit there as she turned her shower on. She was thinking about how she should take it easy and try to find ways to distract herself around the other girl, as she was making a fool of herself, when she heard the shower next to her turning on, and turned and saw the other girl getting inside it.

Panic started to set in. Shakily, she reached for her bottle of shampoo as she heard the other girl fumbling with her swimsuit. She bit her bottom lip and tried to focus on reading the instructions as she heard the distinct sound of a wet swimsuit hitting the shower stall separator and she tried to avert her eyes as long as humanly possible, an ordeal that was making her eyes sting, as she knew that the other girl was naked too now.

She was doing everything within her power to not look at Paige. She was doing really good too, until the other girl accidentally knocked her shampoo into Emily's shower stall and asked her to get it.

"Here you go" Emily said, looking away.

"Thanks" Paige replied, looking down.

Though neither really had the courage to look at the other girl, Paige did catch Emily's posture out of the corner of her eye. Her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out why she was still looking down, until it hit her: She must've been embarrassed in front of her because of her previous, homophobic remarks.

"Hey, Emily? You know, those things I said before? I'm really sorry about them It was dumb and I was feeling.. threatened and stuff and I'm sorry. You belong on this team, and I don't want you to feel weird in the locker rooms because you're gay." Paige started, somehow warming the room up with her words.

"I don't. I'm fine. It's not... I'm fine." Emily answered back, tripping all over her words within the confines of her shower stall. She suddenly felt like she was under a spotlight.

"Really?" Paige continued, "Cause it seems like you've been avoiding me since we stepped out of the water. If it's something I did, I'm-"

"I'm not avoiding you. I'm just tired" Emily lied.

"Oh, right. Yeah, these races can really wipe you out if you're not careful. Do you need a ride home? I mean, maybe you shouldn't be driving, if you're really tired"

"No, it's okay. Thanks." She assured her, making herself busy scrubbing the pool residue off her upper arms.

"It's really no big deal," Paige interjected but Emily shook her head, sending water droplets flying everywhere and assuring her that she was fine.

"I appreciate the offer but I really don't need a ride" she affirmed, and all Paige could do was nod and get back to the business at hand.

She chanced a look over, and found that Paige was staring ahead, busy with washing herself. The subject was dropped, Paige seemingly satisfied with Emily's answer and putting all of her attention into washing herself and this afforded Emily a chance to sneak the occasional glance towards the other girl.

Her eyes roamed down Paige's hair and stopped at the back of her neck where she was hypnotized by the droplets that trickled down her hair and bounced off her shoulders, trailing down her back in thin streaky lines. She wished she could trace those lines with her fingers for a split second before shaking her head to clear it and returning to the task at hand. Steam filled up the room, covering every surface with tiny droplets as Emily scrubbed her arms a second time. She licked her lips and stole another sidelong glance at the other girl. She'd finished massaging shampoo into her scalp and was now holding her head back and rinsing it off.

Emily admired the contours of her face and the way the water bounced off her rosy pink lips. She had a better application for those things, is what she thought as her eyes trailed lower and took in the front of her neck, which she wanted to bite and kiss, and then down to her amazing clavicle, which was so defined she thought she could cut herself on it. Before her eyes strayed further down she averted them and tried to focus once again on scrubbing every surface on her body.

After scrubbing her thighs she chanced one last look over at Paige, hoping she wouldn't catch her staring. Paige had her eyes closed and couldn't see a thing because she was massaging conditioner into her scalp and Emily watched the patterns she was carving with her fingers and wished she could feel her etching similar ones onto the skin of her breasts and thighs and...

Her fantasy was cut short when she heard the squeaking of the shower spigot being rotated and heard the water slow down to a drip, then stop. The other girl was done and she'd barely finished washing her body. Emily rushed through shampooing her hair while the other girl dressed and ran out, barely having rinsed the conditioner off just as the other girl was walking out the door. Having missed her, she cursed under her breath and walked over to her locker, changing her clothes, sulking because she changed her mind about getting that ride from Paige.

She walked out of the locker rooms, leaving the door unlocked for the janitor, and started walking out of the school towards the bus stop when she was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. To her surprise it was Paige, who was standing around holding two sports drinks and two little bags of nuts.

"I thought we could use the energy for our walk home" she said handing Emily a drink and a baggy

"You don't have to walk home with me"  
"I know, but if you insist on walking after all that, I'm not gonna let you walk home alone. Not when I'm the reason you stayed behind while everyone else went home."

"Paige,-" Emily started but was cut off  
"Please, Emily, let me take you home." Paige begged with the most earnest look Emily had ever seen in her life  
"Okay." she relented "but we're taking your car. I don't want you to have to go out of your way to get it"

"Okay." Paige agreed, extending her arm out and signalling for Emily to lead the way.

* * *

"Thanks for the ride." Emily said as Paige walked her up to her door. So far she had been the perfect gentleman, Emily remarked. It was ironic because she was having a better time on this not-date with Paige than she ever did with Ben who was actually interested in her. Paige stood around awkwardly for a couple of seconds after replying with a "anytime". It looked like she wanted to say or do something. She kept looking up at Emily, or more specifically Emily's lips, and then blushing and looking at the ground.

Suddenly Emily started to feel the familiar flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Was she actually thinking of...no, it couldn't be, Paige was straight, right? It seemed that way before but when Emily leaned in a little, Paige closed her eyes and didn't shy away. She leaned a little more until she could feel Paige's breath on her face and just as she was about to make contact, Emily's mom opened the door.

"Emily, there you are! I thought I heard a car! Hi, Paige, how are you doing? So sorry I couldn't make it to the race. Did you girls do well?" She inquired. Paige simultaneously paled and turned beet-red as she stumbled all over her words, trying to reply in the affirmative.

"We came first" Emily cut in, mercifully sparing Paige further embarrassment.

"Oh my goodness, that's amazing. Congratulations! Why don't you girls come in and I'll treat you to my famous cherry pie!" Pam beamed at Paige

"I would love to, Mrs Fields, but my parents are expecting me at home and-"

"I'll call your father, I'm sure he wont mind!" she interrupted, bouncing into the house, cheerily snapping up the phone and scrolling through her contact list.

"You better come inside" Emily offered "When she gets like this, she doesn't take no for an answer."

Emily smiled and dragged her gym bag in. Paige sighed and followed her. It was going to be a really long night.


End file.
